Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Planted Tank Forum forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Topic Review (Newest First)

05-26-2013 06:34 PM

tylergvolk

Sold for $100 without stand.

05-16-2013 01:04 AM

tylergvolk

Tank has been taken down and is for sale.

04-27-2013 04:47 AM

tylergvolk

It never got better. Most of the HC died out...

04-27-2013 03:51 AM

griffin_pak

hope it got better!

03-24-2013 06:54 PM

tylergvolk

While trying to keep algae at bay, my HC has died off considerably in the last four weeks. I had the light at 50 PAR on for 4 hours a day. At first, I thought the HC was going through a transition stage, but yesterday I added 20 RCS and they ate all the dead/dark green leaves and now it looks like a barren waste land...

I have turned the lighting up to 7 hours 50 PAR in hopes to revive my HC that I worked so hard to get nice and lush. Needless to say, I am really bummed out about this...

Do you think the HC will come back?

Here is a picture of what it looks like now. The bare parts in the front at all roots and no leafs.

I'm trying really hard to keep this tank balanced. The HC is going through a transition period. I can see parts of it turning dark green. I also found some hair algae in a small area.

I added:

-4 Platy Fry
-3 Ottos
-4 Ghost Shrimp

I put a ton of Frogbit and Water Lettuce in this tank to cut the lighting back. I have one light on during the day at 50- 60 par for 4 hours. I'm hoping this transition period will just phase out and the algae will go away.

02-28-2013 02:32 AM

tylergvolk

Tank Filled 2/27/13

Hello everyone!

I just bought a new house about a month ago and needless to say things got busy real fast. I rehab housed for a living and there was much to be done. Now that I am settled in at the new place I have some time for my fish tanks.

I have been DSM'in HC in this tank from 12/18/12 - 2/26/13. The HC has filled in very nicely. I have some Platy fry I'm thinking about putting in here once it is cycled.

The HC has been pearling like crazy every since I filled. ( See Pictures)

My #1 Goal for this tank is to get a handle on the algae. I do not want thee algae to over take this tank like it has in the past. The tank is in our living room and is somewhat of a show piece. A good conversation starter. lol

I am following the these instruction:

Flooding the Tank

Once the plants have filled in like shown above, it's time to fill the tank with water. Once the water is filled, CO2 injection is required and needs to be kept very high for 2 weeks close to 5 bubbles per second (bps). Afterward, bring it down to 3bps. Setup lights as per the plants requirements. (Cuba is not a very light demanding plant). Setup filter that you have decided on using. If you are using nutrient rich substrate like ADA Amazonia II, follow the below light and water change routine.

Week 1: 3 Hrs of Light , 50 % Water change once in 3 DaysWeek 2: 5 Hrs of Light , 30 % Water change once in 3 DaysWeek 3: 7 Hrs of Light , 30% Water change once a weekWeek 4: 9 Hrs of Light , 30% Water change once a week

Your tank is completely cycled after this stage and if you follow the above routine you will have minimal algae issues except for some diatom algae during the first 2 weeks on the glass which is easily wiped off during your water changes.

NOTE: A correct combination of amount of Light , CO2 and nutrients is required to keep a planted tank free of algae bloom. In most cases it is excessive light that causes the problem. Keep your lighting moderate and you will have minimal algae issues.

Added Notes: This method can be used to grow aquatic plants even in small tubs and kept outdoors such that it gets diffused sunlight. You will have your very own supply of plants for your tanks when you need them. I hope people will benefit from this article as I did and have fun creating such scapes.

01-05-2013 02:47 PM

tylergvolk

Update DSM 3 Weeks

The DSM in this tank is going very well. The HC is very full and lush growing immersed. It's actually growing better and fast since the first time I did a DSM. I think it is doing better in his eco-complete because I'm using water from the old tank which has all the bacteria etc in it.

If you're having issues keeping rummy nose alive you have a bigger problem that won't be solved with more fish.

In the past, I think I had my flow to high for the little buggers. Plus, the vent(intake slits) were to big and the fish would get pulled into the filter. I fixes those problems once, and still had fish dying.

I could give it another go but I dunno. I lost about 100$ in fish and don't want to do this again... I just wish I knew what was wrong.

I'd say ember tetras are pretty hardy. In fact, you rarely have a fish die nowadays if you put it in a cycled tank, regardless of pH, GH, KH, etc. This is because fish adapt really well to different parameters. I'd say try embers. My 10 year old cousin has some in her tank and they're really cool fish.

I'd say ember tetras are pretty hardy. In fact, you rarely have a fish die nowadays if you put it in a cycled tank, regardless of pH, GH, KH, etc. This is because fish adapt really well to different parameters. I'd say try embers. My 10 year old cousin has some in her tank and they're really cool fish.

01-03-2013 12:14 AM

jarvitron

If you're having issues keeping rummy nose alive you have a bigger problem that won't be solved with more fish.

Don't put in angelfish either. Just ONE angelfish needs at least a 29 gallon tank. Why not some ember tetras or microrasbora? And maybe some corydoras pygmaeus for the bottom (although they may rip up your HC carpet if it's not well rooted).

Oh, I didn't realize angelfish needed 30+ gallons. Well, now I have a good excuse not to get any! haha Thanks.

I was thinking about tetras because I love remmynose and cardinals but I can't seem to keep them alive. If I put fish in there, I need something more hardy. I wonder how Ember Tetras rate on the hardy scale. I love their look.

Honestly, I'm still debating on whether or not to go with shrimp. My girlfriend want to put this tank in the living room when we move next week. She want to put angel fish in there. If I do go with shrimp, then I will probably go with RCS for starters.

Thanks man. The emersed HC is looking very nice already. I'm starting to get excited for the fill.

Don't put in angelfish either. Just ONE angelfish needs at least a 29 gallon tank. Why not some ember tetras or microrasbora? And maybe some corydoras pygmaeus for the bottom (although they may rip up your HC carpet if it's not well rooted).

I like the new layout a lot, just don't add any cardina shrimp--seiryu rocks raise the pH, GH, KH, and TDS which is not good for softwater shrimps.

Thank for the tip!

Honestly, I'm still debating on whether or not to go with shrimp. My girlfriend want to put this tank in the living room when we move next week. She want to put angel fish in there. If I do go with shrimp, then I will probably go with RCS for starters.